1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new method for making edible chips which include as a primary constituent comminuted shrimp. According to the particular steps of this inventive process, the shrimp emulsion supplied in a frozen block form is crushed and mixed at room temperature with edible ingredients primarily comprising manioc flour, sugar and yeast in order to produce a paste which may be subsequently treated to form a final dried product which expands into a particularly pallatable end product even though fried in oil at significantly reduced temperatures.
While many processes for preparing chip products from various food constituent elements have been proposed, it has been the general experience in the art that critical mixtures and treatment operations are required as part of the process in order to produce a chip product having a desirable fluffiness when deep fried.
In distinction to prior art processes, the inventive method teaches a particular methodology which departs from the requirement of pre-cooking ingredients and allows for a method of maintaining the product absolutely free from air-borne baterial contamination during the critical steaming and the post-steaming operations. The resultant product produced by the inventive method further disclosed herein surprisingly achieves a particularly pallatable final composition despite basic departures of this method from analogous methods in the prior art.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to teach a method for producing a puffed shrimp chip product which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art, particularly those inherent in previously considered necessary aspects of steaming and post-steaming operations.
It is a further object of this invention to teach a particular method for producing puffed shrimp chips which results in a final product having particularly improved taste and appearance characteristics as a result of the synergistic effects of the methodology of preparation according to the instant invention.
It is a still further object of this invention to disclose a product produced by this process having none of the disadvantages attendant to expanded chip products made from seafood bases, such as shrimp, which attains a puffed characteristic due to microscopic pockets of air and CO.sub.2 which are produced according to the novel method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following patents illustrate various prior art methods and products for producing edible chips made from seafood and other protein bases:
KORTSCHOT 3,698,914 WALTER 3,684,527 CONLEY 3,512,993 FOX 3,497,363 LOSKA 3,297,450 WONG 3,282,701 ASSELBERGS 3,201,260 SHEPHERD 2,168,246
While these prior art processes involve preparation of a puffed chip product, the methodologies uniformly taught by these prior art references have noted the requirement of pre-cooking and extended periods of exposure to the air during which baterial contamination is possible.
Exemplary of the prior art is the patent to Conley. In Conley comminuted raw meat, which includes shrimp at col. 3, line 60, is heated to a boiling point and a mixture of 50% potato starch and 50% corn starch is added to form a doughy mass. He states at col. 2, lines 38 et seq. that this first heating is necessary to mix the starch and furthermore that sugar may not be used because the resultant chips when deep fried will have a burned flavor. Furthermore, after forming a roll of the dough it is directly contacted with steam and then exposed to air while drying for 8-12 hours.
In distinction the present method begins with a mixing step done with cold shrimp emulsion at room temperature and significantly the stick is both steamed and chilled, as explained hereafter, without air contamination of the intermediate product before being sliced. The resultant slices are then dried at an elevated temperature of not more than 50.degree.C for not less than 6 hours. As a result the inventive process provides for a unique cellular structure that cannot be derived by the known prior art practices.
The patent to Shepherd, which was considered by the Examiner in issuing the Conley patent, discloses at page 2, line 5 two examples of a mixture; including firstly a quantity of raw shrimp together with an equal quantity of cassava (tapioca) flour. Shepherd additionally requires that cassava flour be absolutely necessary in order to produce his final product. See page 3 lines 45 et seq. It is noted that cassava flour, or tapioca flour, is by dictionary definition part of and including the manioc flour family. Therefore, unlike Conley, Shepherd particularly teaches the importance of manioc flour in his process. Furthermore, Shepherd critically also requires direct steaming of the paste to effect a "gelatinization" with the uncovered loaf being allowed to cool down for 2-6 hours at room temperature and then aged in air for 24 hours before being chilled in a setting room at 16.degree.-20.degree.C. After chilling Shepherd puts the slices in a drying chamber for two hours at 54.degree.-56.degree.C to produce a resultant product having a moisture content of 8-12%.
In distinction, while the present process also uses raw shrimp and cassavatype flour, in one embodiment the intermediate sticks are maintained out of direct contact with the steam and the air during the steaming and refrigerating steps. Again, and importantly, Shepherd requires that his dried slices be fried at a very high oil temperature, approximately 210.degree.C to 220.degree.C for 3 seconds to 30 seconds. In distinction the intermediate product formed by the instant process may be fried at a much lower temperature; approximately 150.degree.C for 10-20 seconds. Therefore, in total, it can be seen that there is a basically different mechanism involved in the preparation of shrimp chips according to the instant process.
The patent to Wong teaches another puffed shrimp product, however, as seen in table I, he uses a very low proportion of shrimp in his mixture. Wong specifically teaches using baking powder unlike these previous references. In this respect we note that our composition also specifies yeast, or baking powder, but the effect of the novel steaming and refrigerating steps and the ingredients is to produce a product different in kind.
Wong at col. 1, line 63 et seq. notes the use of tapioca (or manioc) flour, but necessarily in a combination with wheat flour. Also, at his example 8, and as he explains at col. 3, line 12 et seq., he recognizes that there are certain types of starch which gelatinize in cold water and one can avoid using boiling water in the initial mixing step. Wong also requires egg whites in his composition, as well as what he terms "inert additives" such as shrimp and monosodium glutamate and other preservatives. Importantly, Wong forms his dough into a roll which is directly heated at a steam table, where the low temperature environment necessarily alters the surface moisture content of the dough. Wong further teaches covering his rolls with a damp cloth during a critical cool down period where the moisture content of the roll needs to be carefully regulated. With this methodology, the dough is exposed to air contamination during his steaming and refrigerating operations. Therefore, while there are certain similarities between the instant process and that taught by Wong the composition of the paste taught by Wong cannot be made solely from manioc flour, and the steaming and refrigerating steps differ significantly as to time, temperature and the condition of the dough. These differences, as explained hereafter, result in basic cellular distinctions for the final product.
The patent to Loska at col. 2, line 15 explains his understanding of the phenomenon of "gelatinization" of starch within his process. It is significant that Loska does not employ a meat or shrimp component in his mixture, and at col. 2, line 55 et seq. he teaches that while tapioca (manioc) flour may be used it would only be from 2% to about 6% of the dry mix. Significantly, the product produced by the process of Loska is entirely a starch product with no shrimp or other animal protein component.
The process of Walter is directly contrary to the instant method in that he first cooks clams prior to forming an emulsion using wheat flour. Furthermore, Walter dries the resultant batch produced at the elevated temperature of 200.degree.F which would tend to form bubbles within the mixture and clearly does not allow water to diffuse from the stick. By contrast, in the instant process drying must be for no less than 6 hours at temperatures below 50.degree.C so that water diffuses to the surface to produce a resultant intermediate product having a maximum moisture level of 12%. Again, Walter does not teach a method equivalent to the instant method; Walter's product must also be fried at a very high temperature of 475.degree.F in order to produce the necessary expansion of his product. Additionally, Walter does not use or recognize any criticality to employing yeast or baking powder in his formulation. As taught herein a unique cellular structure results from the effect of moistureless cooking and refrigeration upon a dough that contains a yeast component.
Asselbergs merely relates to a potato and fish composition which is disintegrated into crystals and is without further relevance to the product or the process of this instant invention.
Similarly, the freeze dried meat product and process taught by Foy is only pertinent and illuminating of the instant invention insofar as he notes that certain parameters of his process are critical to ensure the final product.
Finally, Kortschot is pertinent insofar as his process illustrates the significant and unexpected interdependence that moisture content, mixing formula and other factors have on the final form of a chip product. Again, it is significant that this reference recognizes the difficulty of porosity and texture control in chip products generally.